raw material
Americannoun
noun
-
material on which a particular manufacturing process is carried out
-
a person or thing regarded as suitable for some particular purpose
raw material for the army
Etymology
Origin of raw material
First recorded in 1790–1800
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Privacy International also criticised the feature, telling the BBC it was "the latest sign AI companies see people's images and data as raw material to be exploited".
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Individuals were treated as raw material for the realization of the state’s ends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
Because sodium is far more abundant and widely available than lithium, manufacturers could potentially lower raw material costs while reducing long-term supply chain risks.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026
At the same time, it cautioned that cost inflation is trending upwards, with the CFO saying the company was starting to see an impact on raw material costs from the Middle East conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
A new impetus for the project had emerged: fears of a shortage of uranium ore, the raw material for the production of plutonium bomb cores.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
